actually i'm just looking for hints on spices and what not. i usually just through down some olive oil, some black pepper, some red chili seed, and a little salt and cook away
What you usually do is really a good way to season a steak. If I have a good cut of meat, I tend to keep the seasonings pretty simple. Sometimes though, I do use a seasoning rub of some type or I'll rub Tabasco sauce into the meat (with a spoon - not my hands) prior to pan-frying.
You can put almost anything on beef and it will taste good, though. Montreal Steak seasoning is good. Here's a rub that I've used sometimes, just mix everything together.
You can also give the steak a slightly different flavor by combining or replacing the olive oil with hot chili oil, sesame oil, or an herb or garlic infused oil or using a combination of butter and olive oil.
Another good rub is this one:
2 tsp red pepper 1 1/2 TBS garlic powder 1 TBS black pepper 1 tsp thyme leaves
I'll give it some more thought, but those come to mind immediately.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
Other than olive oil, I use hot chili oil, sesame oil, and walnut oil a lot in cooking. You can always make your own flavored oils - take a cup or so of olive oil and add whatever combinations of spices, herbs, lemon peel, or garlic that you like and heat it until the flavors come out. If it's too strong once it's cooled, just add more oil. If you do make your own, though, make sure that you keep the oil refrigerated and throw it out after perhaps 10 days or so...homemade infused oils can go rancid a lot faster than those that are commercially produced.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
I can't believe I forgot this one, it's actually a marinade, but it gives a good flavor to the steak.
3 garlic cloves, minced 2 TBS fresh parsley, minced 1 tsp black pepper 12oz bottled beer (preferably a dark beer)
Combine everything in a freezer bag or a shallow pan, add the uncooked steak and let it marinate for at least 4 hours but no more than 8, turning periodically. Then just pan-fry it in olive oil.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
sidenote: how about an old fashioned iron skillet..supposedly it enhances the taste? i dont' see how but some friends were arguing about it. now it has me wondering
Well, you don't have to use one, but I tell you this - there are few things that cook as well as a good, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. To me, it's not so much the taste as it is the fact that cast iron cooks very evenly, it holds heat like nothing else, and if it's seasoned, you shouldn't have any issues with food sticking to it. Plus, you don't need to use as much oil if you don't want to during cooking.
And if anyone starts bugging you while you're cooking, you can whack them in the head with it.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
hmm, i think my grandmas cast iron pots and pan set is in my parents garage buried deep withen. maybe one day i should dig em up becouse i know hers were "well seasond".
She had a full set? You need to go and dig those out, you can do some serious cooking with them. My grandmother gave me one of her skillets a long time ago, it's my favorite thing to cook with, and they get better with age.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
I got my mom so pissed at me one time that she threw a iron skillet at me ..... Good thing I ducked ,,, it shattered against the wall ... then she was pissed cause her skillet was broke ....
Don't suppose you know what kind of rubs some of the big steak houses use ????/
oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. 
